Tilting raft



J. ROMANO TILTING RAFT Dec. 31, 1940.

Filed June 22, 1938 dsa/ 502%(2/20 BY w miz ATTORNEYS 0 /42 WITNESS a! Patented Dec. 31, 1940 ATENT OFFICE TILTIN G RAFT Joseph Romano, West Suffield, Conn. Application June-22, 1938, Serial No. 215,256

4' Claims. (01. 272 1) This inventionrelates to amusement devices and more particularly to a tiltable raft or float especially adapted for the amusement of bathers at beaches and in swimming pools or other bodies of water, the prime object of the invention being to produce a simple raft structure which is normally buoyant but easily'tipped' and tilted and requiring considerable effort and skill for a person to balance himself thereon. A particular object is to producea structure in a device of this character, which will not only operate effectively for the purpose intended but practically minimizes the possibility of accidental injury to the user.

With the foregoing and other objects and advantages to be attained, as will hereinafter more fully appear, the invention consists in the general structure and in the parts and combinations and arrangements of parts thereof as hereinafter described and set forth in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawing illustrating a practical adaptation of the invention, and in which:

Figure 1 is an inverted perspective View of the device;

Figure 2 is an end View of the assembled device; and,

Figure 3 is a side elevation of the device.

Generally stated, the device of the present invention comprises a platform or table mounted on a single rollable buoy or pontoon which latter is partially submerged and normally supports the platform or table horizontally above the surface of a body of water and without extraneous supporting floats at either side of the buoy or pontoon, whereby it is difficult for a person to balance the device in the water and maintain his equilibrium thereon. Both the platform or table and the buoy or pontoon may be made of wood, metal or any other suitable material. However, the device as illustrated in the accompanying drawing is constructed principally of wood throughout.

Referring now more specifically to the drawing, the numeral 5 designates the platform or table, which is made of wood and is circular in form. This platform or table, which, for practical purposes, is preferably made of separate boards placed edgewise together, is provided on its under side with a spaced pair of runner-like supporting cleats 6. The platform or table 5 is further reinforced on its under side by flat cleats 1 extending parallel with said runner-like cleats 6 along side thereof, it being understood that within the spirit of the invention still further reinforcement may be obviously provided for the platform or table.

Secured between the runner-like cleats 5 is a single hollow buoy or pontoon element 8, which, as shown, is an ordinary wooden barrel of the 5 medially bilged type, said barrel being located centrally of the platform or table and securely fastened in place by straps 9 which are fastened at theirends to the lower longitudinal edge portions of the runner-like cleats 6. straps 9 and their means of attachment to the cleats 6 may be of any suitable character, but, as shown, the straps comprise wires, the opposite end portions of which are drawn tightly through screw-eyes I0 inserted in the cleats, the extreme end portions of the wires being twisted about the body portions adjacent said eyes l6. By this particular means of attachment, the bilged middle portion of barrel 8 is securely held in place in contact with the adjacent portions of the cleats 5 and against the intermediate bottom face portion of the platform or table 5 in a practical manner because of the location of the tightly drawn saddle-like straps 9 about the tapered portions of the barrel between the single middle bilged portion and the opposite ends thereof.

In accordance with the invention, the single buoy or pontoon 8 employed is proportioned to the weight of the platform or table 5 so that the latter is supported normally at an elevation and substantially horizontal above the surface of the water, that is to say, when the platform or table 5 is balanced on the buoy or pontoon 8, it is clear of the surface of the water all around, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, and even when tilted and resting at one side upon the water the rest of the platform is at an elevation above the surface of the water. In this connection, it is noted that the hollow buoy or pontoon 8 may be ordinarily empty, but, in some cases, when it is de- 40 sired to immerse it deeper into the water, either to bring the platform or table 5 closer to the surface of the water or to decrease the top-heaviness of the device, the buoy or pontoon 8 may be partly filled with water, sand or other material of the requisite specific gravity for the purpose.

By the foregoing, it is seen that a tiltable float or raft is provided requiring considerable effort and skill for a person thereon to keep it balanced on the water and giving much amusement as well as exercise to the user and making for a beneficial adjunct to the exercising and amusement equipment in connection with a swimming pool, bathing resort or other resort or place or amusement,

Obviously, the 10 While the device may be practically produced of wood, as in the structure herein illustrated, obviously it may be constructed partly of wood and metal or entirely of metal, and certain modifications in form and arrangement may be made within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. The invention, therefore, is not limited to the specific construction and arrangement shown in the accompanying drawing.

What is claimed is:

1. An unanchored and freely floating amusement raft comprising a flat circular platform body and a single barrel-like supporting pontoon located centrally thereunder and secured thereto by straps extending about the pontoon near its opposite ends, said platform body being of a di-, ameter whereby to extend peripherally beyond the opposite sides and ends of said pontoon and being normally sustained by the pontoon horizontally but tiltably at an elevation above the surface of a body of water in which the device is floated.

2. In an amusement raft of the character described, a fiat circular platform body having a pair of spaced runner-like cleats disposed in spaced parallel relation on its under side equidistant at opposite sides of the center thereof, and a barrel-like supporting pontoon secured centrally to the under side of said platform loody between said pair of cleats by transverse strap members stretched across the under side of the pontoon and secured at their ends to the cleats.

3. In an amusement raft of the character described, a flat circular platform body having a pair of spaced runner-like cleats disposed in spaced parallel relation on its under side equidistant at opposite sides of the center thereof, a supporting pontoon comprising a bilged barrel located centrally on the under side of said platform body between the pair of cleats thereon, and means for securing the barrel in place comprising transverse straps stretched across the under side of the barrel between the bilged middle portion and opposite ends thereof, the ends of said straps being secured to the adjacent edge portions of said cleats.

4. A floating amusement device comprising a flat platform body and a single barrel-like supporting pontoon fixedly secured under the platform body centrally thereof, the pontoon being of a length greater than its diameter and having its longitudinal axis parallel to the platform body whereby to sustain the same normally horizontal but tiltably above the surface of the body of water in which the device is floated and the platform body being projected throughout the marginal extent thereof to overhang said supporting pontoon.

JOSEPH ROMANO. 

